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Maastricht Centre for European Law

The Maastricht Centre for European Law (MCEL) is committed to the study of European law from an interdisciplinary, transnational, and multilingual perspective. It seeks to foster cooperation between scholars working in the field of European law who are based in Maastricht University and elsewhere.

Fast facts

one of the largest groups of scholars in the world studying European law

close cooperation with political scientists within the framework of the Centre for European Research in Maastricht (CERiM)

The post-war international liberal order is under threat. While traditional multilateral global governance prospered in the first two decades since the fall of the Berlin Wall, the work of international organizations has become fiercely contested in recent years. And it’s not just the BRICS who are piling on the pressure – the very architects of that post-war order are shaking its foundations.

A zero-sum approach to multilateralism under the Trump administration has led the US to withdraw or distance itself from a number of international organizations. Meanwhile, the UK’s decision to leave the EU may reflect a broader popular sentiment that international organizations are simultaneously too distant, too intrusive, and too ineffective.

On the occasion of the publication of the 3rd edition of the popular textbook International Organization, Thomas Conzelmann (FASoS), Hylke Dijkstra (FASoS), Anke Moerland (LAW) and Andrea Ott (LAW) will debate the crisis of the international liberal order and what Europe and the EU can do to support the existing system of global governance.

This debate will be chaired by Roberta Haar (UCM) and is the first event in the new Studio Europa Lecture Series established by the Maastricht, Working on Europe programme.

Education

The scholars of the Maastricht Centre for European Law offer courses in various bachelor's and master's programmes, within the Faculty of Law, but also for example at the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences and University College Maastricht.

Monica Claes

“The EU maintains to respect the constitutional identity of its individual member states. Nonetheless, the meaning of the concept remains vague. What is this constitutional identity made of? When is it violated, and who ought to judge whether this is the case?”

Ellen Vos

Bruno de Witte

“Law has always been both an instrument and a constraint in the European integration process: a toolbox to give shape to the cooperation plans of the EU institutions and its member states: and a set of limits for the protection of the separation of powers and the rights of citizens.”

René de Groot

News

H2020 project on the precautionary principle awarded to Ellen Vos and Kristel De Smedt

Tuesday, October 23, 2018

The project entitled REconciling sCience, Innovation and Precaution through the Engagement of Stakeholders (RECIPES) will address the topical question as to how to protect health and safety of persons and the environment whilst promoting innovation.

Submissions for EuConst Colloquium

XVI Blischenko Conference on Public International Law

Tuesday, May 8, 2018

Upon invitation of the Department of International Law from the Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia Moscow, MCEL member Prof. Dr. Marjan Peeters attended the XVI Blischenko Conference on Public International Law.

Law Blogs Maastricht

Looking for information on a current topic, research relevant to society, more in-depth information about a legal subject? Want to talk to an expert in law, conduct an interview or invite an expert to your programme? Find more information on research and the legal experts at Maastricht University Faculty of Law on our Law Blogs Maastricht. Our legal expertise, research findings and contributions to topical debates are made available for a general public of lawyers and law students, non-lawyers, the press, and (civil) society. Authors of all our contributions are staff members of Maastricht University Faculty of Law.